Extra Day, Wanaka or Franz Josef?
 

Good Morning,

We suddenly have an extra night on the South Island. I've attached itinerary below but so far I've added the extra night to Franz Josef although we could spend the extra time in Wanaka.

I selected Franz Josef due to the drive time from Wanaka to Franz Josef, but wanted to get the Gurus two cents.

Thanks!

Day 1 Piction (rdu-lax-akl-Blenheim)
Day 2 Picton
Day 3 Picton
Day 4 Fly to Christchurch Rent car drive to Mt. Cook
Day 5 Mt. Cook / Heli Hike Glacier
Day 6 Drive to Queenstown
Day 7 Queenstown
Day 8 Queenstown
Day 9 Drive to Te Anau
Day 10 Te Anau / Milford sound cruise kayak
Day 11 Drive to Lake Wanaka
Day 12 Lake Wanaka
Day 13 Drive to Franz Josef
Day 14 Franz Josef
Day 15 Drive to Christchurch
Day 16 Fly Home

So, your extra night is already in the above itinerary, right? Night 14?

That's only two nights in Franz Josef, which is the bare minimum IMO.

So you're good.

No, I'm sorry. I currently have 2 nights Wanaka, 2 nights Franz Josef:

Could either do:

Day 11 Drive to Lake Wanaka
Day 12 Lake Wanaka
Day 13 Lake Wanaka
Day 14 Drive to Franz Josef
Day 15 Franz Josef
Day 16 Drive to Christchurch
Day 17 Fly Home

Or:

Day 11 Drive to Lake Wanaka
Day 12 Lake Wanaka
Day 13 Drive to Franz Josef
Day 14 Franz Josef
Day 15 Franz Joesf
Day 16 Drive to Christchurch
Day 17 Fly Home

Thanks!

Or you could add to Mt Cook or Te Anau, correct?

Frankly, any of the four options would be good, but if it were me, I'd choose Te Anau or Wanaka.

Why? Because there are so many wonderful hikes in both places. Your full day in Te Anau will be filled with Milford. Sure, you may have a few hours upon arrival to explore, but if you like to walk, or enjoy lake activities, you might appreciate a second full day in the area. There are some excellent tracks.

Same with Wanaka - Mt Aspiring National Park is very near Wanaka, but you need a full day to get back there and explore some of it's wonderful walks and gobsmacking scenery. There's also plenty in Wanaka town to keep you busy for a full day - Mt Iron, lake activities, etc, so you'll have no troubles filling two full days there. You might even use one of the days to make a day trip to Arrowtown (more wonderful walks, plus a nice little town and Chinese settlement), or explore some of the wineries near Cromwell. Heck, a long lunch at Mt Difficulty winery could fill most of a day.

I usually spend three nights at the glaciers, even though I've been many times. You can easily fill two full days exploring both Franz and Fox (and Lake Matheson), but if the weather is bad or you're not into hiking, you might find yourself short on things to do.

Same with Mount Cook. Not much to do there on a bad weather day, so one day may be sufficient if you're not inclined to spend all of your time walking.

Good luck with your decision. There are worse things than an extra day in NZ:)

Or spend a full day in Christchurch?

Or another day in Queenstown - loads to do in/around Queenstown.

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks! Accomodations are all booked so I don't want to do too much juggling. I think I might add the extra night to Wanaka.

Yeah, add the extra night to Wanaka and then get a very early start to Franz Josef so that you have a full day for stops along the way. Have fun!

Another vote for Wanaka. Yes, there's plenty to do there, but also it's a great place for doing practically nothing, just sitting with a glass of wine by the lake and staring out at the views. Don't miss the views from Rippon Winery, only a 10-minute drive from the centre of town.
http://rippon.co.nz